Illinois Central No. 1
Encyclopedia
The Illinois Central Railroad
's No. 1 was the railroad's only 4-6-4
"Hudson" type locomotive and the only 4-6-4 in North America
built for freight service
. It was rebuilt in the railroad's own shops from Illinois Central 7000 class 2-8-4
"Berkshire" No. 7038 in 1937
as an experiment to haul fast freight trains, which were growing too large for 4-6-2
"Pacific" types and required more speed than the road's 2-8-2
locomotives could manage.
The experiment was not successful. The locomotive proved prone to slipping, because its factor of adhesion
was very low; in simple terms it was too powerful for its ability to grip the rails. John L. McIntyre, the road foreman of engines at Clinton, Illinois
where the locomotive was assigned during the 1938–1939 period, made some modifications to the locomotive, including to the weight equalization across the locomotives' wheels and to reduce the cylinder diameter from 27 to 24 in (685.8 to 609.6 mm). The latter was to reduce the starting tractive effort
to a level the locomotive's grip on the rails could handle. The improvements were successful, but not to the degree that the railroad ordered any further conversions.
In 1945, the locomotive was renumbered 2499 and assigned to passenger service between Louisville, Kentucky
and Fulton, Kentucky
. It was retired from service in 1949 and soon after scrapped.
Illinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...
's No. 1 was the railroad's only 4-6-4
4-6-4
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-4 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles .Other equivalent classifications are:UIC classification:...
"Hudson" type locomotive and the only 4-6-4 in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
built for freight service
Freight train
A freight train or goods train is a group of freight cars or goods wagons hauled by one or more locomotives on a railway, ultimately transporting cargo between two points as part of the logistics chain...
. It was rebuilt in the railroad's own shops from Illinois Central 7000 class 2-8-4
2-8-4
In the Whyte notation, a 2-8-4 is a railroad steam locomotive that has one unpowered leading axle followed by four powered driving axles and two unpowered trailing axles. This locomotive type is most often referred to as a Berkshire, though the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway used the name Kanawha for...
"Berkshire" No. 7038 in 1937
1937 in rail transport
-January events:* January – Electro-Motive Corporation introduces the EMC E2.* January 18 – The Østfold Line in Norway takes electric traction into use between Ljan and Kolbotn.-March events:...
as an experiment to haul fast freight trains, which were growing too large for 4-6-2
4-6-2
4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
"Pacific" types and required more speed than the road's 2-8-2
2-8-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
locomotives could manage.
The experiment was not successful. The locomotive proved prone to slipping, because its factor of adhesion
Factor of adhesion
In railroad engineering, the factor of adhesion of a locomotive is the weight on the driving wheels divided by the starting tractive effort.A common rule is that for a steam locomotive a good factor of adhesion equals or exceeds 4, but not by too much...
was very low; in simple terms it was too powerful for its ability to grip the rails. John L. McIntyre, the road foreman of engines at Clinton, Illinois
Clinton, Illinois
Clinton is the largest city in DeWitt County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,225 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of DeWitt County.The city and the county are named for DeWitt Clinton, governor of New York, 1817-1823...
where the locomotive was assigned during the 1938–1939 period, made some modifications to the locomotive, including to the weight equalization across the locomotives' wheels and to reduce the cylinder diameter from 27 to 24 in (685.8 to 609.6 mm). The latter was to reduce the starting tractive effort
Tractive effort
As used in mechanical engineering, the term tractive force is the pulling or pushing force exerted by a vehicle on another vehicle or object. The term tractive effort is synonymous with tractive force, and is often used in railway engineering to describe the pulling or pushing capability of a...
to a level the locomotive's grip on the rails could handle. The improvements were successful, but not to the degree that the railroad ordered any further conversions.
In 1945, the locomotive was renumbered 2499 and assigned to passenger service between Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
and Fulton, Kentucky
Fulton, Kentucky
Fulton is a city in Fulton County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,775 at the 2000 census. It was once known as the "Banana Capital of the World" because 70% of imported bananas to the U.S. used to be shipped there . U.S...
. It was retired from service in 1949 and soon after scrapped.